“There are two ways that you cannot sing – if you're crying or if there's hair in your mouth”: Vanessa Carlton explains how her surprise Coachella performance of her classic piano pop hit was almost blown off course

INDIO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (NOT TO BE LICENSED FOR ANY STANDALONE OR SPECIAL INTEREST BOOK PUBLISHING USE CONCERNING THE COACHELLA MUSIC FESTIVAL AND/OR STAGECOACH MUSIC FESTIVAL) Vanessa Carlton performs with Teddy Swims at the Coachella Stage during the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 10, 2026 in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella).

It might have been Coachella’s second weekend that delivered the biggest guests – Madonna, for example – but there were plenty of cameos during weekend one, too.

One of these came from Vanessa Carlton, who was invited on stage by Teddy Swims during his set – which also featured David Lee Roth – to duet on her much-loved 2002 hit, A Thousand Miles.